Thief-Taker General Arnis Armenholdt
On the war worlds of Keb in the Koronus Expanse there exists an individual so corrupt yet so vital for the defense of the realm that he is a beacon to the people of the system. Keb, a world lost to the Necrons of the Sept of Keb when they awoke and surrounded by Battle-Moons filled with staunch Imperial defenders, is a place practically tailor made for corruption and crime. Thief-Taker General Arnis Armenholdt is the one man who stands between Keb and total degeneration into a realm where war profiteering rules, something he achieves by simply being the most vicious crime boss of the realm. He understands that disorder is bad for business and that some level of crime is always going to exist so it falls upon the strongest to keep the weak in order. Early Life Born on Battle-Moon Vosa Arnis Armenholdt was born to a pious but destitute family. He recounts starving so frequently that he swallowed rocked to keep his stomach from atrophying. The chaste society he lived in stifled him and the rest of the youth on the battle-moon. He secretly began running Amasec (a popular alcoholic drink distilled from wine) as a young boy to those who could afford it. By the time he was 16 he was running a bootlegging and prostitution ring out of Battle-Moon Ronek for anyone who needed a release. He gained a reputation for being uncompromising on the security of his clients and absolutely vicious when it came to dealing with both traitors and those who opposed him. The King of Crime Arnis had several run-ins with the law and escaped mostly due to the connections he’d forged indulging in the vices of powerful members of Kebbian society. He used this relative immunity to move on from primarily fulfilling vices to the fencing business. You see, Arnis had figured out a legal quirk that would make him fabulously wealthy. What he’d do was this: he’d buy stolen goods, publically list them as “recovered goods” that his “bounty hunters” had found, claim a finders fee, and then finger either the person who had sold him the goods or lay the blame squarely on a criminal competitor. With this plan Arnis became fabulously wealthy: he’d pay for stolen goods, collect a finder’s fee, and then get a bounty for “catching” the thief. He drove so many other criminals out of business doing this that effectively the entire System of Keb fell under his sway. The Thief-Taker General Presenting himself outwardly as an upstanding, morally outraged, do-gooder in the name of the Emperor Arnis was able to secure the position of “Thief-Taker General” with a little help from his powerful clients. The position was, in fact, actually created specifically for him at his own behest and for the express purpose of growing his influence and he took no time in exploiting it to its fullest. While not part of the Adeptus Arbites the office was a political one that ran parallel to their ranks, primarily overseeing bounty hunters (called “thief-takers” on Keb), civilian security, local watches, and other non-arbite criminal enforcement agencies. The Arbites initially balked at this but they soon came to see both Anis’ value and the stabilizing influence he had. “Better a kindly lion to cow the wolves than wolves running amok, even if he eats a few” they said. As time passed though the Thief-Taker’s power only grew. Even neighboring systems and some less influential Rogue Traders who frequented Keb fell under his sway. Though his reforms are just and helps keep corruption localize and to a minimum, he’s gained strong opposition in recent years from a vocal minority on his own home-moon. Calls for him to “retire” and end his reign of tyranny over the criminal world have been whispered in councils and several plots to assassinate him have been foiled. Retinue Thief-Taker General Arnis Armenholdt surrounds himself with a cadre of elite bodyguards, functionaries, assassins, and even law enforcement officers. Among his most ardent supporters are: Vice-Captain Walpole: A military attache to the office of the Thief-Taker General from the Astra Militarum and representing their interests. Walpole gives him unfettered access to the Imperial Guard, their officers, and resources. Walpole was once a famous Captain in the 4th Kebbian Regiment (The Gosalin Crusaders) who was given military generalship of a vital asteroid mine in the Keb System. The job is a reward for kissing the Thief-Taker General’s boots all these years and the salary is astronomical: on par with that of a minor planetary governor. Rimmer: “Rimmer” is the codename for a mysterious individual who looks and acts suspiciously like an Vindicare Assassin. They say he’s a rogue agent, some knock-off attempt to train one outside of the Vindicare Temple, or simply a very skilled sniper who likes to spread fear into the minds of others by making them think he’s one of the aforementioned things. Whatever the truth is, Rimmer is a crack shot at extreme range and is Armenholdt’s top enforcer. Officer Herditos "Blueskin" Blake: Ol’ Blueskin is a corrupt arbiter who spends his days drinking, whoring, and keeping Armenholdt appraised of what the Arbites are doing. He’s so thoroughly paid off and in his pocket that he brazenly walks around in plain-robes rather than Arbites gear and wears a gold-plated las-pistol with the Thief-Taker General logo on it as a sign of his allegiance. It’s doubtful that he could fit into his regulation uniform due to his grotesque girth and bloated gut. His nickname “Blueskin” comes from the fact that his nose is blue from huffing some Terrelian Sense-Powder, an xenos drug that will slowly turn the skin blue if regularly used. He’s had several surgeries to try to cover this up but at this point he’s given up all pretenses. Bone Eater: The Ogryn known as “Bone Eater” is an abhuman with extensive cybernetic modifications. He exists somewhere in the grey area between ogryn and combat servitor and stays at Arnis’ side 24 hours a day. Rumor has it that he eats those he kills and the bear trap-like jaws he has installed don’t do anything to dissuade this notion. Category:Imperial Characters Category:Keb Category:Imperium of Man